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Institute of Commonwealth Studies

Since the end of
World War II and the founding of the United Nations, genocide, crimes against
humanity and other war crimes—mass atrocities—have been explicitly illegal. When
such crimes are committed, the international community has an obligation to
respond: the human rights of the victims outweigh the sovereignty claims of
states that engage in or allow such human rights violations. This obligation
has come to be known as the responsibility to protect. Yet, parallel to this
responsibility, two other, related responsibilities have developed: to prosecute those responsible for the
crimes, and to provide humanitarian relief to the victims—what the author calls
the responsibility to palliate. Even
though this...

What is ‘cultural oblivion’ and ‘psychological colonialism’, and how are they affecting the capacity of Indigenous Peoples in Canada to actively resist systematic and territorial oppression by the state?

Following a decade-long research project, this new book by Pierrot Ross-Tremblay examines the production of oblivion among his own community, the Essipiunnuat [or, ‘People of the Brook Shells River’] and the relationship between a colonial imperative to forget. The book illustrates how the ‘cultural oblivion’ of vulnerable minority communities is a critical human rights issue but also asks us to reflect upon both the role of the state and the local elite in creating and warping our perception and understanding of history....

This report is based on a research workshop organised by the Refugee Law Initiative (RLI), School of Advanced Study, University of London, on 20 July 2018 in London to mark 20 years of the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
(Guiding Principles). The event aimed to consolidate and revitalise
academic interest in IDP issues and promote renewed research in the
field.

The publications outlines the discussions and conclusions of the nine
thematic panel sessions at the above-mentioned one-day workshop. It
also attempts...

The Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) ‘Working Papers’ are a web-based research series focusing on the protection of refugees and other displaced persons in law and practice. They provide a means for the rapid dissemination of preliminary research results and other work in progress. This resource is particularly intended to facilitate initial distribution and discussion of high quality postgraduate research prior to eventual peer-review publication.

Opinions expressed in individual Working Papers are solely those of the author/s, who retain the copyright. They do not represent the views of the RLI, and should not be attributed to it. Any correspondence on individual Working...

Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights: (Neo)colonialism, Neoliberalism, Resistance and Hope is an outcome of a five-year international collaboration among partners that share a common legacy of British colonial laws that criminalise same-sex intimacy and gender identity/expression. The project sought to facilitate learning from each other and to create outcomes that would advance knowledge and social justice. The project was unique, combining research and writing with participatory documentary filmmaking. This visionary politics infuses the pages of the anthology.

The chapters are bursting with invaluable first hand insights from leading activists at the forefront of some of the most fiercely fought...